Totally freaking out, please help!

[eharczos]

I buy all of my products through Candle Science and use GB 464.  I've been making candles for YEARS and have always used a 6% fragrance oil load.  I recently switched from tins to glass jars, so currently I'm using a 12 ounce jar (holds 9 ounces of wax, uses a ECO 14 wick) and a 16 ounce apothecary jar (holds 14.5 ounces of wax, ECO 16 wick).  One of my customers told me their candle didn't have very good hot throw, so my most recent batch of candles I bumped up to a 12% fragrance load and sold about 15 of them today.

 

I was looking through the reviews of new scents to add to my line, and someone mentioned they used too much fragrance oil and their candle turned into a tiki torch. This of course prompted me to start googling it, and I see a lot of posts about fragrance oil pooling at the top of the candle and the surface of the candle starting on fire.  I could just vomit I am so terrified.  

 

GB 464, according to the Candle Science website, does in fact have a max load of 12%.  That being said, the majority of the scents recommend a load of 3-10% for candles.  So which is it?  Should I be recalling all of my candles now and telling customers not to burn them?  Is 2% in 464 that big of a difference from 10%?  Anyone here use 12% consistently in 464 and never have an issue?

 

All of this being said, 2 of my scents formed craters when I was curing - some of them even had cracks in the surface, it looked like I could push on it and my finger would go through the surface.  I chalked this up to me pouring too hot and too fast, used a blow dryer on them and moved on.  

 

Sorry for the long post, I am just so scared that I sold a bunch of candles to people that are going to start their houses on fire!!

 

Thank you!

[FB157]

Did you test burn any of your new candles with the 12% load before selling them? Did you change any other variables? 

Edited November 19, 2016 by FB157

[eharczos]

I have burned some, I guess I'm worried if different fragrance oils would have a different effect.  I didn't change anything but the fragrance oil load percentage.  I've actually been pouring the leftovers into old tins and am burning one right now - I would think that with the tin being a smaller diameter and getting much hotter due to being metal that if something bad was going to happen it would happen in the tin, but I'm concerned that it's a 'luck of the draw' thing and if the flame happens to hit a pocket it'll just erupt.  And I suppose that could happen with any candle regardless of fragrance load, but obviously much less likely with 6% than 12%.  Ugh I wish I would have just done 10% and called it a day.  I've used 6% for years but have a lot of customers that are going for that fill-up-a-room Bath and Body Works or Yankee Candle, so I was trying to accommodate.  

[Trappeur]

Did you test burn these candles b/4 you sold them?

Geesh, I don't know what to say except that is a lot of oil that went into the candles.  I use that wax and am leary to even go to 7%.  I always have done 6%.

What fragrances did you use from CS?

 

Trappeur

[eharczos]

I used:

 

Cranberry Marmalade

Egyptian Amber

Nag Champa

Mistletoe

Christmas Hearth

Strudel and Spice

 

I did test some of them out, but it was either the leftovers that wouldn't have filled an entire container (so half a glass jar) or a tin.  I know that GB 464 allows you to go to 12%, and since I've been making candles for so long and followed Candle Science direction I didn't even think about it being a safety issue.  It wasn't until I saw the review where someone said their candle turned into a tiki torch (they didn't specify the fragrance load) that I started to worry.  

[Trappeur]

So when you tested them, did you burn them all the way to the bottom and were they ok?  Those are all great fragrances that I use all the time.  Though I have never tried Egyptian Amer or Nag champa.  Now I have trouble getting Strudel and Spice to throw and I love love that scent.  It's hard to believe that Cranberry Mar, Mistletoe and especially Christmas Hearth you don't get a good throw and they are great at 6% for me....

 

I wished I could give you some advice of what to do.  I feel your pain.  Hopefully someone will come along and help you with advice.   I just don't know what to say about the fragrance load. I hate to say it, but if that were me, I'm sort of leaning towards recalling those candles just in case....you know what I mean?

 

The customer who said there wasn't much throw, what fragrance was it in and did you let them cure before you gave to her?

 

Trappeur

[KrisS]

I don't use that wax, so I can't comment on it.   However, if you are questioning the safety of your own candles, I see no option but to recall them.   

 

It really is a reminder for all of us.  New fragrance?   Test.    New jar?   Test.   Same old wick/wax/fragrance but new supplier?   Test.   Test, test, test, and retest.   You need to burn a sample candle from every wax lot, just to make sure something didn't change during the manufacturing process.     

 

You've made the decision on which wick works best with the  jar.   How badly does it tunnel if they don't let it burn long enough?   How wide and deep is the melt pool at 30 minutes?  An hour?  3 hours?   Marathon burn?   Did you burn one candle or multiples?   One batch or a few different batches?   Do your notes reflect it? 

 

We're working with products, when improperly manufactured or used, that have the potential to cause the loss of life or property.   We owe it to ourselves, other candlemakers, and the consumer to act accordingly.

 

[eharczos]

Trappeur it was the hazelnut coffee candle.  I've always used 6% and didn't think much of it, but I have to be honest - I love candles that really stink up a room and am loving the 12% (assuming it's safe!)

 

I really appreciate everyone's input on this.  I'm completely torn; I would like to think that Candle Science and various other suppliers wouldn't advertise a max fragrance load of 12% if it was a major safety hazard.  Looking through archived posts on this forum there are people that always use the max of 12% (which is obviously making me feel better), and there are others that never go above 6%.  I would like to drive the point home that I did test my candles - I certainly didn't just make them and package them and ship them off.  I'm the type of person that will leave work in the middle of the day and drive 45 minutes home if I think there's any possible chance I left my flat iron plugged in, so I think my major fear here is that just because it didn't happen to the ones I tested, what are the chances it could happen to the others?  

 

KrisS thank you so much for your feedback, you've given me a lot to think about.  Me making candles has always been more of a hobby - I sell them to people at work, and once in a very great while I'll do a craft show, but for the most part they're my own personal home use.  When I test my candles it's really just to see how the scent throw is, and to make sure they're not tunneling (obviously not starting a fire is a bonus).  

 

Thank you both very much - I'll post Candle Science feedback when I get it, and from now on I'll be sticking with a max of 10%!

 

 

[TallTayl]

Nag champa at that %would make me puke . 

 

If I read this right, you changed your scent load based on feedback from one customer?

[eharczos]

TallTayl not quite - I've made soy candles with GB 464 on and off for about 6 years, and always did 1 ounce per pound.  Now that I've switched to jars I'm trying to be more comparable to Bath and Body Works and Yankee Candle, and his feedback combined with personal experience made me want to try these at a stronger scent.  The first batch of jars I did a fragrance load of 4 ounces to 3 pounds of wax, and obviously went a little nuts by switching that to 8 ounces per 4 pounds of wax.  Hindsight I should have simply tried to up it to maybe 5 ounces per 3 pounds instead and gone from there.  

 

And I'm not a huge fan of Nag Champa in general, but it got good reviews on the CS website so I figured I'd give it a try!

[Moonstar]

I could be wrong but I don't think Ive ever seen 464 advertised by CS to have a FO max of 12%. From what I remember seeing the range suggested is 6-8%

for 464 wax and a bit higher for 415 and 444. Moonshine ( a poster on here) uses 415 and I believe she uses 9 or 10% but not 12% Also with some FO's

6% is even too much, such as florals like Gardenia , Rose, in my opinion anyhow. But everyones nose is different. I also think many would not care for a 

candle scented where it blows them right out of the house. Im sorry I don't have more to add that would help. 

[Trappeur]

I just looked up the specs on Flaming's site:

464 wax:  8 to 10% for fragrance oil

415 wax:  8 to 10% for fragrance oil

444 wax:  9 to 11% for fragrance

 

Trappeur

[kandlekrazy]

11 hours ago, eharczos said:

I used:

 

Cranberry Marmalade

Egyptian Amber

Nag Champa

Mistletoe

Christmas Hearth

Strudel and Spice

 

I did test some of them out, but it was either the leftovers that wouldn't have filled an entire container (so half a glass jar) or a tin.  I know that GB 464 allows you to go to 12%, and since I've been making candles for so long and followed Candle Science direction I didn't even think about it being a safety issue.  It wasn't until I saw the review where someone said their candle turned into a tiki torch (they didn't specify the fragrance load) that I started to worry.  

Without knowing what size wick they used it's really hard to say why it happened.  I know several people that use a 12% load and call it double scented, never had a problem.  I've always been chicken and I use 6% sometimes less, but I don't use your wax.